California Redwoods

Since our rafting trip was in southern Oregon, we decided it was well worth the drive to northern California to see the redwoods. We spent a day in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and were absolutely in awe at the size of the trees. Trey, Carsten, and I went on a hike through an area that the park ranger told us contained the tallest trees in the world. They were impressively huge, some well over 300 feet tall and 20 feet in diameter.

We also went swimming in a tributary of Smith River, with water so clear you could see the rocks on the bottom more than 30 feet below. We didn't get a good picture of how clear the water was, but my dad got a picture of me swinging off of a rope hanging from a bridge over the water.

Below is a video of a little adventure we had in the redwood forest. My dad joined Trey, Carsten, and I for the first couple miles of our hike. He was supposed to meet up with my mom at a campground by crossing a bridge over the Smith River. When we got to the right location, though, we discovered that the seasonal bridge wasn't there. There happened to be a small raft on the beach that a family had used to cross the river then left while they went for a hike. Trey and my dad commandeered the raft to cross the river, hurrying to finish before the owners returned. My favorite part of this is how hard Trey was laughing after they got into the raft.